Soap tablet



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. HOUSTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SOAP TABLET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,156, dated July 18,1882.

Application filed May 8, 1882.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. HoUs'roN, acien of theUnited States, and residing at San rancisco, in the county ofSan Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and usefulSoap Tablet, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a soap tabletor slab which canbe readily grasped and easily and securely retained by the hand of theperson usingthe tablet. I accomplish this object by the meansillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in 'which Figure 1 is aperspective view of my soaptablet. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line X X of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal section taken on the line Y Y of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

It will be seen by reference to the accompanying drawings that my soaptablet is made shoe shape, or in the form of a horseshoe, and that theedges are chamfered or beveled upon both sides from the pointsrepresented by the diagonal lines a a at the heel of the tablet. Theheel b of the tablet is made square by a transverse vertical cut, andupon both sides of the heel a fiat shear or beveled cut, 0, is made, bywhich means and the beveled ed ges around the oval part of the tablet ahorizontal band, 0?, is formed around the entire edge, leaving aflathalf-oval surface, 6. Upon both sides of the cake, from the upperends of (No model.)

By this construction the hand of the user is made to readily grasp thetablet, the flat oval plane resting in the palm of the hand,while thetwo middle fingers of the hand are laid over the chamfered end b, withthe little finger and index finger at each side resting against the fiatvertical band 0, in which position the opposite or rounded end ispressed against the ball of the thumb in the palm of the hand, leavingthe lower field or oval free to be applied to the article or surface tobe soaped.

Not alone by this construction is a ready means obtained for graspingand holding the tablet without slipping, but I have found by actualexperiment and comparison that tablets or slabs formed in this way willlast much longer than those made in other molds, and, besides, thetablets can be dried or desiccated in one-half of the time required todry or desiccate soap made in other molds.

The plain or fiat surface may be ornamented in high or low relief tosuit the fancy, or lettered with the name of the maker.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

A semi-oval soap tablet beveled and scarfed substantially in the manneras herein set forth and specified, for the purpose described.

' In testimony that 1 claim thcforegoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal this 27th day of April, 1882.

w. J. HOUSTON. n s] Witnesses:

WILMER BRADFORD, CHAS. E. KELLY.

